Safety Challenges Associated with Traditional Foods of West Africa

Abstract

In West Africa, varieties of agricultural produce are processed traditionally for value addition, and they significantly support food security. Nonfermented and fermented foods are important traditional foods that support dietary intake of the people and enhanced nutritional requirements and health. Throughout the subregion, there is limited large-scale industrial production of traditional foods; many of the food processing facilities are still home based or in cottage industries using rudimentary tools and techniques. Over decades of cottage processing, different mechanization techniques such as mechanical grating, sieving, and hydraulic pressing have improved scale and increased productivity. Evaluation of food safety in the subregion revealed very little consideration for good manufacturing practices (GMP) and unhygienic sanitation leading to frequent chemical and microbial contamination. In general, there are obvious food safety challenges across the subregion and reported cases of foodborne diseases and outbreaks. Many times, outbreaks and foodborne epidemics are poorly documented. Identification of associated safety issues could be an essential prerequisite for improving risk management and healthy food supply. This review depicts different food safety challenges associated with processing and consumption of traditional foods in the subregion. Accurate information on food safety will be very relevant to policy formulation and control.